"Hmph."

 

At this moment, Chu Lingyue sneered coldly.

 

With just that sound, the black hand that was about to reach in suddenly stiffened.

 

Then, Chu Lingyue used her sealing hand to coldly point at the large black hand and said:

 

"All that is received, and all that continues, is extinguished, and is called without a shadow; it is called extinction."

 

As soon as these words were spoken, a terrifying aura of destruction, like the sudden appearance of the stench of a corpse, surged towards the black hand like a wave as Chu Lingyue arrogantly pointed.

 

"Boom!"

 

A silent burst of air followed, and the huge black hand shrouded in black mist suddenly shrank back, and sparks of fire appeared on its fingertips.

 

"Is it extinction without a shadow, or return to the demon realm, choose one."

 

Chu Lingyue's voice was as cold as ice.

 

The black hand hesitated, then slowly retracted and clenched into a fist.

 

"Roar!…"

 

Just then, in the previously silent world, a dragon's roar suddenly sounded, followed by an angry and hoarse voice:

 

"Who dares to trespass on our Qingxuan, you demon!"

 

As soon as these words were spoken, the black hand transformed from the demon outside the domain no longer hesitated, and suddenly shrank back from the window, disappearing as if it had never appeared.

 

The sound of thunder, wind, and rain suddenly returned to this world.

 

"The little black dragon guarding the gate of Qingxuan Sect can actually sense the demon outside the domain? I underestimated him, but it seems that he only sensed it and did not truly discover its existence."

 

Chu Lingyue, whose figure had become transparent, glanced in the direction of the gate of Qingxuan Sect, then slightly raised the corners of her mouth and turned to look at Xu Taiping, who was still in a trance, and murmured:

 

"But today, thanks to it, without that sound, I'm afraid I would have had to use the extinction fire curse, and then I would not see the little guy again for at least thirty years."

 

Although thirty years was just a snap of her fingers for her, after spending this time together, she really didn't want to part with the little guy in front of her.

 

"I originally wanted to deal with the tiger demon together with the little guy, but now it seems that I am willing but unable. If I don't return to the buried fruit to sleep, I'm afraid there will be problems with this remnant soul. Forget it, leave a letter for the little guy, let him know the method of the Ice Breath Technique. With the Ice Breath Technique and his comprehension talent, he will definitely be able to deal with the tiger demon."

 

As Chu Lingyue muttered to herself, she controlled a brush on the table with her divine sense and began to write on a piece of white paper.

 

This brush was one of the few things she could pick up with her current remnant soul.

 

"During this sleep, it could be as short as a month or as long as half a year. Little Taiping, take care of yourself. If you encounter anything interesting, remember it and tell me when I wake up."

 

After writing the last line, Chu Lingyue's strength was completely exhausted, and she turned into a wisp of smoke that drifted out of the room and finally entered the withered branches buried in the medicinal garden.

 

…

 

At the same time.

 

Xu Taiping finally broke through the invisible barrier around his dantian with the residual glow of true qi.

 

He successfully broke through the initial stage.

 

"Is this the sea of qi?"

 

The moment he broke through the initial stage, Xu Taiping gained the ability to see inside, and with just a thought, he saw the "sea of qi" after breaking through the barrier of his dantian.

 

Standing in the sea of qi, he seemed to be in a vast and hazy world, occasionally seeing clusters of true qi condensing into clouds drifting around.

 

Even with such a superficial view, he could still directly feel the difference between the sea of qi and the dantian.

 

"No wonder Senior Ziyang said that, and no wonder the Jade Scroll of Transmitting Techniques says that only when you reach the initial stage can you practice the Dao. The small dantian simply cannot contain the true qi needed to perform the Dao techniques."

 

Xu Taiping marveled in his heart.

 

"Oh, I have to tell Lingyue sister this good news as soon as possible."

 

He suddenly thought of the fairy Lingyue who was still guarding by his bedside, and immediately restrained his mind and opened his eyes again.

 

"Hmm?"

 

To Xu Taiping's surprise, the fairy Lingyue was not in the room, and the window was open, with a palpable sense of danger permeating the room, as if something extremely dangerous had just entered.

 

"Sister Lingyue?"

 

Feeling increasingly uneasy, Xu Taiping got out of bed and called out to the room outside.

 

There was still no response.

 

Just as he was thinking of going to the medicinal garden to check, he caught sight of a letter paper on the table, weighed down by a ruler.

 

He quickly picked it up and read it—

 

"Taiping, by the time you see this letter, I will have returned to the withered branches of the medicinal garden to sleep, leaving this letter to inform you of a few things."

 

What came into Xu Taiping's eyes was a very elegant and free-spirited handwriting.

 

The handwriting matched the person, and it was clearly left by the fairy Lingyue.

 

But as Xu Taiping continued to read down, the joy and surprise that had just surged within him due to his breakthrough vanished in an instant—

 

"When you broke through just now, you attracted a demon from outside the domain, which is likely related to your spiritual talent."

 

"Demon from outside the domain?"

 

Xu Taiping had never thought that such a being, which only appeared in the legends of Qingxuan Sect, would appear by his side.

 

…

 

A moment later.

 

Xu Taiping finally finished reading the letter in its entirety.

 

Although there were still many things he didn't quite understand, such as the "clear heart of the Dao" and the "demon from outside the domain," he understood the sudden return to sleep by Sister Lingyue—

 

"Just as I thought I had succeeded in my breakthrough, Sister Lingyue was risking her life to drive away the demon from outside the domain."

 

With this thought, he put away the unfolded letter, and the joy and surprise in his eyes faded like receding tides.He closed the window and solemnly placed the envelope into the wooden box his grandfather had given him, then silently sat back on the bed and began to meditate with crossed legs.

 

The events of the night had given the young Xu Taiping a glimpse into the perilous path of cultivation.

 

"If it weren't for Sister Lingyue, even if I had broken through to the Opening Realm tonight, I would have likely been devoured by the heavenly demon, losing my soul. The road ahead is long, and I cannot always rely on Sister Lingyue. Now that I have the qualifications to cultivate, I must be a hundred times more diligent and a hundred times more hardworking than other cultivators. I will make this body of Mortal Bones ascend the path to the heavens! If a Tiger Demon blocks my way, I will slay it. If a heavenly demon obstructs my path, I will cut it down!"

 

Xu Taiping silently made this resolution in his heart.

 

In fact, perhaps even Fairy Lingyue had not realized that Xu Taiping's greatest reliance on the path of cultivation was not some profound understanding of the Dao, but the tenacious will forged under his grandfather's guidance since childhood.

 

…

 

On the same night.

 

In the Tiger Demon's cave at Green Peak Gorge.

 

"Roar!…"

 

The Tiger Demon stood atop the gorge and let out a powerful roar. The ripple of force generated by its voice spread like ripples on water from the mountaintop, causing the fierce beasts in the surrounding mountains to cower on the ground.

 

"My wounds are finally almost healed. In one more month, I will be fully recovered!"

 

The Tiger Demon sneered, then touched the long scar on its face, and with a fierce light in its eyes, looked towards the red maple forest outside the cave:

 

"Mojun of the Fifth Peak, you want me to be your mount? You are not worthy! Once my wounds are healed, if you dare come to Green Peak Gorge again, I will make you taste the power of the Shuofeng Tiger clan's secret treasure, the Cloud Devouring Orb."

 

As it spoke, it suddenly reached into its mouth and pulled out a silver-white orb.

 

"Boom!"

 

The moment the Cloud Devouring Orb appeared, a violent wind suddenly arose in the red maple forest outside the cave. Many maple trees, thick enough to require two people to encircle them, were directly severed by the wind blades.

 

Looking at the ravaged scene outside the cave, the Tiger Demon contentedly swallowed the Cloud Devouring Orb back and then restrained its smile, turning its gaze towards the direction of the Green Bamboo Residence, and said in a cold voice:

 

"And you, the little rabbit from Green Bamboo Residence, you dare to harm my Evil Ghost, I will turn you into an Evil Ghost and let you suffer my torment for generations!"